Photo: Laois Tourism This year, the National Ploughing Championships, located in the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin, will take place from September 17-19 in Ratheniska, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. The diocese will be represented in stand 221 and will highlight the suffering of victims in war torn areas such as Gaza and Ukraine.
In the stand, the visitors will be invited to collect a coloured pin and place it on a specially designed St Brigid’s Cross, and to make a pledge for peace in response to the horrific wars around the world. That cross will be presented to the Pope in Rome next year during World Youth Day.
The action called ‘Pledge your Pin for Peace’ is being led by Bishop Denis Nulty, who said the word ‘pledge’ “implies a commitment, and I encourage the faithful to make the pledge, to pray for peace and, if possible, donate financially to relief organisations working in conflict zones.”
Another initiative launched during the Ploughing Championships will invite people to allow their phones to ‘ping’ for peace. Bishop Nulty said “People from rural Ireland naturally empathise with farmers in war torn places because agriculture is an important sector in many troubled areas. The theme of peace resonates with the motto of the World Ploughing Organisation – ‘Let Peace Cultivate the Fields’.
As part of the Diocese’s anti-war actions in the Ploughing Championships, “the bell of Saint Columbanus will be rung for peace every hour”, they said in a statement. Also, marking the 1500th anniversary of St Brigid, a handcrafted Cloak of St Brigid will be prominently displayed reflecting the folklore that tells of the saint spreading her cloak over the Curragh in Kildare.
Stand 221 will also provide blessed salt, as it is a tradition to use in farms and gardens for prosperity.